24 Signs You May Be A Mega Consumer
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Mega Consumers appear to be the driving force in the US economy. Everything hinges on the consumer: the auto industry, the home building industry, the retail industry, the restaurant industry, even the banking industry. Your government thinks so much of consumers, they have sent out “stimulus” checks.
Frugal websites abound with tips and techniques that try to combat consumerism and, hopefully they are having an effect. Still, we are a nation of consumers.
We can’t get away from all consumerism. Even if someone lives in a cave in the mountains, they’re still consuming something, though their contribution to consumerism would be very small (some call these spenders instead of consumers). Others won’t be persuaded to embrace frugality because they don’t have to, they’re wealthy enough to literally never worry about money. But there is a group of people who are the Mega Consumers despite NOT having huge trust funds. Do any of these characteristics describe you?
You have a yard sale every 3 months just to make room for more stuff.
You cannot fit anything else in your garage…and you don’t even have your car in there.
You have a separate filing system for each of your vehicles, including the boats and the RV’s.
You genuinely have no idea how much money you have, or where you have it, or where it goes.
You trade in your new car for a newer car every 12 months, or less if the mood strikes you.
You think a Vacation of the Month club sounds like something you’d be willing to join.
You think “Budget” is the name of a rental car company.
You engage in an expensive hobby without seeking ways to reduce its costs ($200 golf weekends, spending $2,000 for a hunting club, etc)
You claim to have “nothing to wear,” yet your closet is full to overflowing.
You camp out at a store to be the first to get the latest tech gadget.
You go to those “free vacation” time share weekends and fall for the spiel.
You’ve memorized the menu from more than one restaurant.
You’ve already spent your economic stimulus check, even though you haven’t received it.
You get jealous when the neighbors get a delivery from the furniture store.
You have HSN and QVC on speed dial.
You plan your vacations based on the shopping that’s available.
You know your credit card customer service reps by name and extension.
Your motto is, I came, I saw, I wanted, I bought.
You evaluate every purchase in light of its monthly payment, or what your limit is on Visa, or which credit card you’re NOT late on.
You don’t care that you have no money for savings, vacations, or entertainment, you spend it anyway.
You think wants are needs. Actually, you have no wants. They’re ALL needs.
You may be broke but it’s not your fault.
You have a personal parking space reserved at the mall.
You don’t care whether you rent, buy, or lease, just give it to me.
What are some other signs of the Mega Consumer?
Note: This post was included in The Carnival of Personal Finance at Gather Little by Little. Please visit the great blogs at the Carnival today!
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Ouch!
Great stuff!
Good one!
As entertaining as the post is, it draws attention to the actual problem we have one spending. I love the way you get the message across to your readers.
I appreciate your kind words! There’s someone I know who has 4 yard sales per year and my kids asked me, “How much stuff do they have?”
That question inspired this post!
Great list by the way! Hopefully, it will serve as a wake-up call for some. I know that there was a time when I needed to read something like it.
I didn’t really mean it to be funny, it just came out that way.
And you’re more than welcome!
It’s always a treat to see you’ve visited!
Love it’
I do, however, have a separate file for both of our vehicles (we don’t have boats or RV’s, of course!). I also keep a separate file for each of the cats and my horse. I’m an organizing geek!
That’s funny. I think having files is great, but if you have so many vehicles you HAVE to have a file just to keep them straight in your mind, you might have more than you need!
But it is great that you’re organized. Keep it up!
[...] Wisdom Journal presents 24 Signs You May Be A Mega Consumer - Wondering if you might be a “Mega Consumer”? Check out Ron’s list and [...]
[...] post by Ron at The Wisdom Journal identifies 24 signs to look for to determine if you’re a mega-consumer. He said he was inspired to write the post after his kids [...]
Yes, I do have a file for each vehicle. They are for maintenance records due to the fact that they are all paid off, no payments. We do have a file for each animal we have to prevent from inbreeding. We have files for everything we need, and vanity is not one of our files!
It is no wonder why the rest of the world hates Americans because the are concerned about the latest tech gadgets, or the failure to recognize that they make more money in a week than some people make in a month, or more. Americans complain about the rising prices of everything, and most don’t realize that fuel prices are the main cause for everything going up in price. Example? News Flash tonight on TV. “Gas prices may be cause for food price inflation.” Of course they are, Tractors, fuel, diesel, harvesting, shipping, etc. And most people don’t realize this due to the fact that they are trying to think how they can stay in touch the coolest way. Or what’s on TV sitcoms or realality shows tonight. Or what they are going to wear tomorrow due to having nothing to wear (even though their closets are full).
If you can’t tell, American’s ignorance really irritates me and this kind of article just pushes the point home.
Good night, and good luck!
For myself, I too have files for my vehicles, equipment, and animals…can you tell I have a small farm?
anyway, it’s good to see that I’m not as bad as I thought, as it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a vacation, and I absolutely DESPISE those time-share telemarketers
yes, my closet is full, but it’s all clothes that were GIVEN to me by those people who have all those yard sales (and couldn’t sell this particular bag of clothes). I don’t turn down FREE. My current auto is 13 years old, I paid $75 out-of-pocket for it, and I average 27-29mpg. So, I guess I’m out of the running for mega-consumer.
There’s no shame in NOT being a mega consumer!
Congratulations on being in control of your finances. Maybe you should start a personal finance blog! I bet you’d have a lot of great tips.
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